Master in Geoinformatics Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan

About the programme

Geoinformatics Engineering is a two-year master's degree (laurea magistrale) worth 120 ECTS, taught in English at Politecnico di Milano's Milano Leonardo campus. It is an interclass degree between computer systems engineering (LM-32) and environmental engineering (LM-35), run by the School of Civil, Environmental and Land Management Engineering with the School of Industrial and Information Engineering. PoliMi describes it as the first degree of its kind in Italy.

A geoinformatics engineer turns satellite images, GNSS positions and sensor data into usable information for environmental monitoring, land management, infrastructure planning and emergency response. The degree suits graduates in environmental, civil, computer or other engineering and science fields with a good grounding in maths and programming.

What you will study

At enrolment you choose one of two tracks, which also sets your degree class: GEC for students with a computing background (LM-32) or GEO for those from environmental engineering (LM-35). They share most content and differ by 25 ECTS of compulsory courses. Units in the 2026/27 plan include:

• Geospatial Data Analysis and Geographic Information Systems (10 ECTS each)
• Positioning and Location Based Services
• Earth Observation
• Geospatial Processing, and Subsurface Imaging and Detection
• Data and Information Quality
• Computing Infrastructures (GEC) or Computer Architecture and Operating Systems and Software Engineering for Geoinformatics (GEO)
• Electives such as Advanced Geospatial Artificial Intelligence, Photogrammetry and Drone Surveying, Machine Learning, and Space Economy and Earth Observation Business

How the programme is taught

Courses combine lectures, exercises and labs on real or realistic cases, often assessed through project reports. The thesis is worth 15 ECTS and is written and defended in English. Students can also follow the Interdisciplinary Programme in Smart Infrastructures, which includes a workshop with Enel Foundation, and PoliMi's exchange and double degree schemes such as TIME.

Career paths

The regulations list employers across every sector that produces or uses spatial and environmental data. Depending on your track, you can later sit the State Examination for the civil and environmental or the information engineers' register.

• SMEs and IT firms building GIS, territorial databases, logistics and planning tools
• National and local bodies handling mapping, land registry and spatial data infrastructures
• Large companies, such as telecoms, needing in-house geospatial experts
• Firms managing environmental sensor networks
• Research institutes working on big geodata, urban analytics and Earth observation

Fees and scholarships

PoliMi's fee rules treat this group separately: non-EU students in the reserved quota who enter a master's with a bachelor's from abroad pay the maximum annual fee, €3,943.04 for a standard 2026/27 study plan, even with an ISEE parificato. That changes if you hold a scholarship from PoliMi, another institution or the DSU call that PoliMi runs, so this programme can be tuition-free for eligible students.

How to apply from outside the EU

Apply online as a student with a foreign qualification, choosing up to two programmes. For September 2026 entry, engineering calls ran from 1 October to 1 December 2025 and 13 January to 26 February 2026, with outcomes by the end of May; the fee was €50 until 1 December and €150 after. A February 2027 intake call ran from 18 May to 18 June 2026. The committee checks your record and may set compulsory courses. Before enrolment you need a Diploma Supplement, declaration of value or CIMEA statement, then Universitaly pre-enrolment and a type D visa.

How ApplyAZ helps

If this programme fits your goals, ApplyAZ can include it in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at Italian public universities. We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose, submit your applications and Universitaly pre-enrolment, file your DSU scholarship application and prepare your visa file, with a named person on each stage. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa. See how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.